Mertle Edmonds
Mildred Pearl "Mertle" Edmonds is Lilo's main rival and the leader of three other girls, Elena, Teresa, and Yuki, as well as the spokesperson of them. She is usually seen hanging around and playing with her three friends, or often on her own, and takes pleasure in making Lilo feel bad about herself. However she has shown a side that she is just as much a lonely girl as Lilo was and decided that it's okay to accept the flaws and try to be a better person. Personality Mertle is an incredibly spoiled little girl and the most unlikable character in the franchise. She is the leader of a clique of girls who follow her every command. She strongly dislikes Lilo and calls her mean nicknames, such as "Weirdlo" and "Freaklo", as well as always getting her in trouble for what she did. She is shown to be unforgiving and holds grudges against people, even when they apologize, as shown when Lilo apologizes for tackling and biting her earlier, she does not forgive her and only says rudely, "Apology not accepted." It is shown in the TV series that her "friends" aren't too fond of Mertle's mean and bossy attitude, implying that, despite the fact that they hang out with her, they don't actually like her, in fact, they sometimes leave her (but then, come back eventually, for continuity's sake). Mertle takes great pleasure in putting down, insulting, bullying and making fun of Lilo. Mertle also tends not to take responsibility for her actions; she blamed Lilo for beating her up in hula class, even though she was being cruel to Lilo, which provoked her into beating her up. Mertle is even cold enough to tease Lilo about being an orphan, which is Lilo's weak spot. She also blames Lilo for things that were her own fault, such as the time Mertle got an experiment pod on her charm bracelet and the experiment was a black hole and Mertle didn't listen to Lilo's warnings. When Holio's pod was activated, Mertle blamed Lilo for everything when she did not take Lilo seriously. Just like the other humans, she is too ignorant to tell Stitch, Reuben, and the other experiments are aliens and usually mistakes them for disfigured and ugly Earth animals. In addition to being ignorant, Mertle also seems to have a bad memory, as she doesn't recognize Reuben, whom she had met in a few episodes, but then forgotten about. This is made worse by the fact that she can't read either, as shown during "Spike" when Mertle had Teresa to cheat for her during the Ohana-Rama. Then after Spike caused Teresa to lose her intelligence, Mertle couldn't answer a single question. In the TV series, it has been shown that Mertle's reason for mocking Lilo comes from her bigoted view of normality that causes her to disregard anyone different from her or anyone who disagrees with her. In Leroy & Stitch, it is hinted that Mertle's unseen father who she holds a great deal of respect for is the main influence of this view. Mertle has also been shown to be extremely dishonest as she had no qualms about cheating in contests and framing people for her wrong doings. However, it is shown that Mertle isn't totally heartless and dishonest, in the episode "Yapper", she cheated to win the dog show, but then gave Lilo the trophy because Lilo played fair and she also loves her "dog" Gigi. It has also been hinted how she might have had some respect or admiration for Lilo's mother as she told her she'll never be a great dancer like her. While it was not confirmed in the shows or movies, it is likely that Mertle's mother and father are separated or divorced. While it is never outright addressed, it is possible that Mertle's mother and father are separated or divorced. This is hinted at in Leroy & Stitch where when Mertle cruelly states to Lilo that Stitch "ran away and is never coming back," to which Yuki says "just like Mertle's dad, to which she snaps angrily for her to be quiet. This separation could be one of the reasons why she is a bully and has a poor attitude. Mertle could possibly hold respect for her father in order to bond with him and she adopted his views so she could see him more. The once-common (not anymore) view that divorce is not "normal" could be why Mertle is so mean to people who don't have traditional families, like Lilo. This would make her a hypocrite because she herself does not have the "traditional" nuclear family and likely tries to hide it from everyone, even her friends. This is again implied when Mertle mentions her father in Leroy & Stitch and Yuki is surprised that she has one. This would also make her similar to Lilo in the sense that the both have only a mother figure in their lives and have "broken" families. Her poor attitude and bullying behavior could possibly and partially be attributed to her reaction to her parents' separation and her inability to see her father all the time. Her spoiled personality could also be from her mother spoiling her daughter to keep her happy and mask the struggles they endure as a family. Another likely reason that she is so mean to Lilo is that she is jealous of the love and happiness her rival has with her family, something she cannot get with her father away. In the television series "Stitch and Experiments", Mertle is still a teenager and starts out as the same bratty girl she once was but starting in the episode "Mertle Edmonds: Portrait of a Teenage Brat" it is shown that Mertle was only trying to boss Yuki Teresa and Elena around because once her parents were divorced she was a lonely girl who wanted a friend but never used kindness and since she decided that weirdness results in creativity she decided to put her rivalry with Lilo beside her and become friends. Biology Appearance If she isn't dressed in her hula dance outfit when performing or practicing hula dancing, then she can be seen wearing a pair of light big blue, round glasses and a light green, short-sleeved shirt. She also has a pair of blue shorts, light green flip-flop sandals, and long, curly red hair. Family and Relatives Mertle's mother, Mrs. Edmonds, and her Aunt Stacy are the only two relatives that have been introduced into the show. Mertle's father, Mr. Edmonds, has never made an appearance so it's anyone's guess as to is whereabouts, however in "Stitch and Experiments" it is revealed that Mr Edmonds is a pilot and this is part of the reason why Mertle is so bratty. The man is either dead, divorced, abroad, or just away a lot, however Mr Edmonds was divorced in "Stitch and Experiments". Mertle and her mom both live in a yellow-colored stucco ranch house and then moved to Mrs Hasagawa's old house once she died. Her mom has appeared in about six episodes, while her aunt has only been in two episodes. Age 5-7 (original series) 13-19 (Stitch and Experiments) Voice Actor Miranda Paige Wall in the very first movie Lilliana Mumy in the TV series and in most of the movies Trivia *Mertle's given name is a unique variant spelling of the female given name Myrtle, which is derived from the name of the plant Myrtus. *In the Disney Adventures comic called Lilo's Luau, Mertle is called "Jenny". *Mertle once "adopted" Hämsterviel, mistaking him for a talking gerbil. *It is revealed in "Spike" that Mertle is illiterate and possibly has dyslexia. *While it is never outright addressed, it is possible that Mertle's mother and father are separated or divorced. This is hinted at in Leroy & Stitch where when Mertle cruelly states to Lilo that Stitch "ran away and is never coming back," to which Yuki says, "Just like Mertle's dad," to which she snaps angrily for her to be quiet. This separation could be one of the reasons why she is a bully and has a poor attitude. *Despite how mean and cruel Mertle is, Lilo still considers her a "friend" and will help when it is needed. *She has a dartboard with a picture of her cousin Daria in her room. *Mertle is a big fan of No Doubt and often collects No Doubt merchandise. Category:Human Characters Category:Female characters Category:Villains Category:Former antagonists Category:Antagonists Category:Females Category:Reformed Villains